1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk player for playing optical disks such as compact disks (CDs) and laser vision disks (LDs), and more particularly to a disk player suitable for selectively playing a plurality of CDs and one LD with those disks accommodated therein.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In order to avoid problems involved in repeating the operation of replacing disks one at a time in playing CDs, the so-called compatible disk player has, in recent years, been proposed in which a plurality of CDs are arranged in one plane on a tray so as to play the CDs continuously, and are also arranged to permit playing of a laser disk (LD) (e.g. Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-153345). This disk player is arranged such that a plurality of CDs and one LD are placed on a tray provided in a player body. In addition, a CD motor for rotatively driving the CD and an LD motor for rotatively driving the LD are disposed in the player body. In addition, when the LD on the tray is to be played, the LD is driven by the LD motor, and when a desired CD is to be played, the tray is rotated to locate the CD in position with respect to the CD motor, and that CD is rotatively driven by the CD motor.
With the above-described conventional compatible disk player, however, precision and expensive motors are required each for driving the CD and for driving the LD, respectively. In addition, the tray must be rotated to permit a desired CD to be moved to the position of the CD motor.
Furthermore, when the LD is to be loaded on the LD motor, it is necessary to incline the CD motor to a predetermined angle and ensure that the CD motor will not come into contact with the LD. For that reason, the structure of the disk player becomes complicated. Since the LD cannot be played with the CD placed on the tray, it is necessary to remove the CD before playing the LD. Hence, the advantage that a plurality of CDs can be placed appears conversely as a drawback in playing the LD.
Accordingly, to overcome the aforementioned drawback, a disk player has been proposed which does not require the rotation of the tray, makes it possible to jointly use one rotatively driving motor for both the playing operation of the CD and the playing operation of the LD, and permits playing of the LD with a plurality of CDs placed on the tray (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 3-30755).
In accordance with this disk player, a disk-detecting means is provided in which the presence or absence of the CD or LD at a placing position on the tray is confirmed prior to the playing operation of the CD or LD, and the CD or LD is automatically selected. In the CD playing mode, the disk-detecting means is operated when a carriage (disk-holding means) has reached the placing position on the tray, so as to detect the presence or absence of the CD. After the presence of the CD is confirmed, the carriage holds the CD, returns to the disk-playing position, and sets the CD at the playing position.
However, in the case of the disk player disclosed in the specification of the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 3-30755, the detection operation is conducted with respect to the presence or absence of the CD when the carriage is located at the disk-placing position (i.e., the disk rests) on the tray, but detection is not conducted with respect to the process of subsequent operations, i.e., transporting the disk by the carriage from the disk-placing position to the disk-playing position. Although the probability of the disk being dislocated or slipping off the carriage during transport of the disk is generally low, in light of the requirement of a fail-safe operation, it is undesirable in the operation of the disk player to start the playing operation in such a state.